“The National NAACP board hasn’t held a meeting here in Jackson for 30 years,” said former Supreme Court Justice Fred L. Banks Jr., who is also chair of the NAACP Legal Committee and the longest serving member of the National NAACP Board, serving since 1981.  “This is a tremendous honor for Jackson and the state of Mississippi.  It isn’t easy to get something this massive here to Jackson.”

Public Events include:

Press Conference & Wreath Laying

When:  Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 10:00 a.m.

Where:  Medgar Evers Home Museum

Tribute Concert featuring MS Mass Choir & MADDRAMA

When: Friday, May 17, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.

Where:  M.W. Stringer Grand Lodge

In addition to the performance of the award winning Mississippi Mass Choir, Friday night’s tribute concert will also feature special presentations by Mr. Julian Bond and Mrs. Myrlie Evers-Williams.

NAACP member and former U.S. Department of Agriculture Program Manager Shirley Harrington-Watson recalls the difficulty involved in bringing the event to Jackson 30 years ago.

“We wanted to have it here 30 years ago, but they said Jackson was too small.  I went to the board three times before I could get them to approve it,” said Harrington-Watson, who said she still harbors feelings of guilt over Evers’ death in 1963, when he was gunned down in his driveway by segregationist terrorists.

“I felt, as a child, that I was responsible for his death, because I had asked him to get us some t-shirts that night and those t-shirts were actually under his arm.  The security people left him and he drove home by himself.  (His security) and my uncle would take turns going behind him with guns to make sure he got in and out safely, but that time he chose to go by himself,” Harrington-Watson said.  “Really, it takes a lot to talk about it still.  I’m still a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder sufferer from the undeclared war on blacks in Mississippi.”

Evers was an historic figure who helped organize the local movement in Jackson to bring an end to Jim Crow-era laws discriminating against African-Americans.  His assassination at the hands of segregationists helped further stoke opposition against state-sponsored segregation in the South.   In honor of Evers’ noble sacrifice, the NAACP will hold a May 16 wreath-laying ceremony to mark the 50-year anniversary at the Medgar Evers Home Museum at 2332 Margaret W. Alexander Drive, in Jackson.

Attending the event will be Evers’ widow and NAACP National Board Member Myrlie Evers-Williams, NAACP National Board of Directors Chair Roslyn M. Brock, NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous, Civil Rights legend and NAACP National Board Member Julian Bond, Tougaloo College President Beverly Wade Hogan and Mississippi NAACP President Derrick Johnson, among others.

The ceremony will be followed by a Civil Rights bus tour of Jackson, which will kick off the three-day NAACP national conference, spanning May 15, 16, and 17, at the Marriot, in downtown Jackson.

Johnson said he is pleased to host this historic gathering.  “The Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP has a responsibility to continue to uplift the legacy of Civil Rights heroes such as Medgar Evers.  Bringing national attention to this historic occasion helps the next generation to understand the history so that our communities can continue to prosper.  This is what Medgar Evers would’ve wanted.”

Jackson Advocate Publisher

The anticipation of May 7th has come and gone. Left holding the runoff card after Jackson’s Democratic primary are businessman Jonathan Lee and civil rights attorney Chokwe Lumumba. With 100% of precincts reporting, Lee garnered 35% of the vote; Lumumba 24%; and Mayor Harvey Johnson came in third with 21%. There were a total of 11 democrats vying for the city’s top job. Although Councilman Frank Bluntson received only 3% of the vote, it should not dismiss his invaluable volunteerism with senior food programs and youth initiatives.

Also in the May 21st runoff will be four contenders for Jackson City Council. In Ward 4, the field of 10 candidates was narrowed down to Derrick Trimble and DeKeither Stamps, both received 19% of the vote. In Ward 5, incumbent Charles Tillman will get another chance at convincing voters he can offer them more than former councilwoman Betty Dagner Cook. Tillman garnered 40% of the vote compared to Dagner-Cook’s 19% from a field of seven hopefuls.

Ward 1 Councilman Quentin Whitwell, Esq. had no opposition. In Ward 2, Melvin Priester Jr. won in a landslide victory over four other community activists with 65% of the vote. Ward 3 Councilwoman LaRita Cooper-Stokes did likewise, winning 53% of the vote in a field of seven; the closest vote getter was Pam Greer with 11%. Ward 6 Councilman Tony Yarber easily defeated challenger Sylvester McDonald with 82% of voters putting pen to paper for him. Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simone beat out challenger June Hardwick with 75% of the vote.

In other races around the state, Arnel Bolden and Canton Mayor Dr. William Truly will meet in a runoff May 21 in the Canton Democratic mayoral primary. Official returns show Bolden with 946 votes and Mayor Truly with 936.

Former Rep. George Flaggs won the Democratic nomination to seek the office of Mayor in Vicksburg. He received the necessary 50%+1. Embattled mayor Paul Winfield only received 8% of the vote. More controversy surrounded this race than any in recent Mississippi history. Challenger Linda Fondren, who came clean after lying about her previous employment as a call girl, netted 29% of the vote. Flaggs will face independent candidate Darryl Hollingsworth in the June 4 general election.

In Moss Point, State Rep. Billy Broomfield defeated incumbent Mayor Aneice Liddell in the Democratic primary and will face two challengers in the general election.  Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler is back in, while Phil Fisher took the Republican primary in Clinton with 57% of the vote and Rodney Carter showed strong with 70% in the Democratic primary. Pearl’s Brad Rodgers secured his mayoral bid with 83% of the vote. Meridian’s incumbent Republican Mayor Cheri Barry will face Democrat Percy Bland in the general election. And Teresa Mack looks forward to representing Ward 4 on Byram’s Board of Aldermen. She received 72% of the vote.

JA Senior International Correspondent

On July 27, 2006, the White House issued a press release announcing that President George W. Bush signed into law the “Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization And Amendments Act of 2006.”

President Bush held a signing ceremony.  In attendance were Cabinet members, representatives of both houses of Congress, and civil rights activists, including but not limited to Dr. Dorothy Height, Dr. Ben Hooks, Julian Bond, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Marc Morial, Juanita Abernathy, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Rev. Al Sharpton.

During his speech at the signing ceremony, President Bush stated: “The Voting Rights Act that broke the segregationist lock on the ballot box rose from the courage shown on a Selma bridge one Sunday afternoon in March of 1965. On that day, African Americans, including a member of the United States Congress, John Lewis, marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in a protest intended to highlight the unfair practices that kept them off the voter rolls.  …  My administration will vigorously enforce the provisions of this law, and we will defend it in court.”

The 2006 reauthorization extends for 25 years – to the year 2031 – certain provisions of the voting rights law.   Other provisions are permanent.

Parts of the original 1965 Voting Rights Act cover some states and cover only some counties in other states.  Essentially, this part of the law – called Section 5 – seeks to protect and ensure the constitutional right to vote by requiring covered states and counties to obtain permission from the U.S. Attorney General or the federal district court in Washington, DC before making changes to their state or county voting laws.

Thousands of requests for changes are submitted to the U.S. Attorney General each year.  About one percent of the requests for change are filed with the federal district court in Washington, DC.

The state or county requesting a Section 5 change to the state or county voting laws must prove that the requested change protects and ensures the right to vote.  For example, in places having a large non-English-as-first-language population, any requested change must make certain it is not more difficult for these citizens to cast their ballots, e.g. the ballots might need to be available in English and other languages.

In July 2012, Shelby County, Alabama filed in court a challenge to the voting rights law, claiming that Section 5 is unconstitutional.  The United States Supreme Court agreed to hear Shelby County’s concerns.

In November 2012, the United States Supreme Court agreed to consider only one question – “Whether Congress’ decision in 2006 to reauthorize Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act under the pre-existing coverage formula of Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act exceeded its authority under the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments and thus violated the Tenth Amendment and Article IV of the United States Constitution.”

Given the nature of the question being considered, the Supreme Court agreed to allow others to comment on this important topic.  Dozens of groups weighed in, filing an amicus brief either arguing for or against the continuation of the law President Bush signed, ensuring Section 5’s existence and enforcement until the year 2031.

Among the very diverse collection of groups filing amicus briefs are: Pacific Legal Foundation, National Bar Association, American Unity Legal Defense Fund, Judicial Education Project, Justice and Freedom Fund, Mountain States Legal Foundation, Landmark Legal Foundation, Abraham Lincoln Foundation for Public Policy Research, Inc., Congressman John Lewis, Senator Harry Reid, Navajo Nation, City of New York, National Federation of Natives, Alaska Native Voters and Tribes,  Professor Broussard and Named Students, Alabama Legislative Black Caucus and Alabama Association of Black County Officials, and Veterans of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement, Inc.

On February 27, 2013, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments.  What gained the most press coverage are the following comments by Justice Antonin Scalia, located at pages 46-48 of the written transcript and beginning at minute 50:17 of the audio recording:

JUSTICE SCALIA: Well, maybe it was making that judgment, Mr. Verrilli. But that’s – that’s a problem that I have. This Court doesn’t like to get involved in — in racial questions such as this one. It’s something that can be left — left to Congress.  The problem here, however, is suggested by the comment I made earlier, that the initial enactment of this legislation in a — in a time when the need for it was so much more abundantly clear was — in the Senate, there — it was double-digits against it. And that was only a 5-year term.  Then, it is reenacted 5 years later, again for a 5-year term. Double-digits against it in the Senate. Then it was reenacted for 7 years. Single digits against it. Then enacted for 25 years, 8 Senate votes against it.  And this last enactment, not a single vote in the Senate against it. And the House is pretty much the same. Now, I don’t think that’s attributable to the fact that it is so much clearer now that we need this. I think it is attributable, very likely attributable, to a phenomenon that is called perpetuation of racial entitlement. It’s been written about. Whenever a society adopts racial entitlements, it is very difficult to get out of them through the normal political processes.  I don’t think there is anything to be gained by any Senator to vote against continuation of this act. And I am fairly confident it will be reenacted in perpetuity unless — unless a court can say it does not comport with the Constitution. You have to show, when you are treating different States differently, that there’s a good reason for it.  That’s the – that’s the concern that those of us who — who have some questions about this statute have. It’s – it’s a concern that this is not the kind of a question you can leave to Congress. There are certain districts in the House that are black districts by law just about now. And even the Virginia Senators, they have no interest in voting against this. The State government is not their government, and they are going to lose — they are going to lose votes if they do not reenact the Voting Rights Act.  Even the name of it is wonderful: The Voting Rights Act. Who is going to vote against that in the future?

Many observers have sharply criticized Justice Scalia.  Given the critics’ comments, it is apparent that many have not read the entire 84-page transcript of the oral argument or listened to the entire hour-long audio recording of the oral argument.  If they had, they would better understand that the issue before the Court is very complex, be aware of the fact that the Court’s decision might have ramifications beyond the Voting Rights Act, and appreciate the need to plan now for what will happen after the Court issues its decision in the next few months.   In other words, the most important part of what happened at the oral argument was not Justice Scalia’s comments.

Our readers will find a complete copy of the 84-page transcript of the oral argument on our website.  An audio recording of the oral argument can be found at the following webpage:  http://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_audio_detail.aspx?argument=12-96.

Here is another link to the transcript 12-96.

Back Row: Reverend Hightower; Mr. Derrick Johnson, President State NAACP; President Carlos Wilson East Mississippi State Baptist Convention; Reverend Gene Fowler, President, General Missionary Baptist and Educational State Convention of Mississippi, Inc.; Reverend Leroy Jones, Vice President at Large Northeast Mississippi Baptist State Convention; Mr. Frank Figgers, Shady Grove MB church; Reverend Jesse Horton, Pastor Emmanuel MB Church;
Front Row: Reverend C. J. Rhodes, Pastor Mt. Helm Baptist church; Reverend Lacy Harrell, Sr. General Missionary Baptist and Educational State Convention of Mississippi, Inc.; President Joe Peoples Northeast Mississippi Baptist State Convention; President Isiac Jackson, Jr. General Missionary Baptist State Convention of Mississippi, Inc.; Reverend Lee E. Morris, Sr. General Missionary Baptist and Educational State Convention of Mississippi, Inc. and Reverend Wayne Moore, Pastor, Mt. Olive MB Church.

By Rev. C.J. Rhodes – On January 21 Barack H. Obama was sworn in for his second presidential term using Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s traveling Bible. The day was significant because of the first black president’s second inaugural ceremony and that it was intentionally held on the federal MLK holiday.

President Carlos Wilson – East Mississippi Baptist State Convention, Inc.; President Gene Fowler – General Missionary Baptist and Educational State Convention of Mississippi, Inc.; President Joe Peoples – Northeast Mississippi Baptist State Convention, Inc.; President Isiac Jackson, Jr. – General Missionary Baptist State Convention of Mississippi, Inc.

Many rightly remember King as a civil rights leader, a drum major for justice who called upon the greatness of America’s founding principles to make our nation “a more perfect union.” Sadly, we often neglect that King was foremost a fourth-generation Baptist preacher who saw his leadership in the civil rights movement as an extension of his Christian ministry. In a certain sense, King was a prophet who pastored and nurtured that nonviolent revolution with moral courage and spiritual insight. We would do well to remember this about him.

King would have turned 84 on January 15. Though the Dreamer is dead, his dream lives on in those of us who still have the strength to love our nation enough to call it to true greatness—a greatness measured by what it does for the least of these. This prophetic patriotism has been a unique gift of the black church traditions from which King was formed and nurtured. In particular, the black Baptist tradition has historically called upon us to turn to Jesus for soul salvation and social liberation. King simply shared and showed the Gospel we preach to a lost and dying world. We must do likewise.

On King’s birthday four of the six Mississippi state Baptist conventions met at the Mississippi Baptist Seminary in Jackson to discuss how we can work together to improve the spiritual and social conditions of the people we serve. The Rev. Isiac Jackson, Jr., president of the General Missionary Baptist State Convention and pastor of Liberty M.B. Church in Canton, initiated the historic gathering. It was the first of its kind. Some of these conventions emerged out of geographic necessity while fewer were the result of splits. But our coming together that Tuesday morning was about believing that collaborative leadership is the best means of redeeming the soul of Mississippi.

The meeting concluded with a resolve to work together around the myriad issues that plague our people. Since pastors and preachers are still the most effective leaders in our beloved state, we contend it is up to us to renew our charge to serve both our congregations and larger communities. Miseducation, economic disempowerment, physical and mental health disparities, social immobility persist. HIV/AIDS, inadequate housing, crime, and a cradle to prison pipeline stultify our people. The church must be in the business of preaching and living a Gospel that changes lives from the inside out. Transformed people can transform communities. That is what King taught us about the Gospel. We must continue that legacy in the power of the Holy Spirit and to the glory of our liberating Lord and all-sufficient Savior Jesus Christ.

May black Baptists—and all Christians of good will—be determined to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed until all experience the transforming power of Jesus.

Before being named interim coach, Hunter served as the Suns Player Development Coordinator. The first chance for the former Tiger to sit in the first seat will be Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings. Lindsey should come well prepared for the task at hand, during his 17-season NBA career, he played for the likes of Phil Jackson, Larry Brown, George Karl and Doug Collins.